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Ex-Ukrainian army officers train NATO troops in using drones in Latvia-hosted drills

The newspaper’s correspondent noted that "despite the talk of modernizing, the exercise felt little like the fighting in eastern Ukraine, where drones dominate the skies in such numbers that tanks and artillery can hardly move"

NEW YORK, May 12. /TASS/. Former Ukrainian military officers are training NATO service members in using drones during NATO drills in Latvia, The Globe and Mail newspaper reported.

"Several ex-Ukrainian military officers - wearing balaclavas pulled up to their noses to hide their identities - took part in the Crystal Arrow exercise as trainers," the paper pointed out.

However, the newspaper’s correspondent noted that "despite the talk of modernizing, the exercise felt little like the fighting in eastern Ukraine, where drones dominate the skies in such numbers that tanks and artillery can hardly move." The report added that the Crystal Arrow drills, at least on May 11, "saw drones used one at a time, and primarily as reconnaissance tools, rather than attacking positions in swarms as is now commonplace on the battlefields of Ukraine."

The Latvian army is conducting the Crystal Arrow 2026 exercise together with a NATO multinational brigade stationed in the country on May 5-15.

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